Safe Havens custodial exchange program closed due to lack of funding

Safe Havens, the center that has served as a neutral ground for custodial exchanges or supervised visitations, lost its struggle to remain open after losing the bulk of its funding from the state.

"It's really a blow to the community," said Chief District Court Judge Beth Keever.

Safe Havens, which began operating here in 2004, was the largest and only program of its type administered through the court system, Keever said.

The program relied primarily on a $125,000 grant from the Governor's Crime Commission to keep it in operation, said program Director Debbie Norman.

The money was not available this year because of deep cuts in state funding, Norman said.

"We just didn't have the funding to keep going," Norman said.

Keever agreed.

"Everybody is stretched thin," she said.

When the program started, it had eight cases. That's grown to at least 130 clients who have used the program, which operated out of a small house at 304 Mason St., Norman said.

Some parents, Norman has said, are unable to see each other when they are doing custodial exchanges.

"These were some of the more volatile cases," Norman said. "They were reintroduction (of parents and children), cases that involved domestic violence, substance abuse or people who could not get along, period.

"They would use one child to pit against the other. We were able to alleviate that because children weren't caught in the middle," she said.

Safe Havens offered a place where parents could drop off or pick up a child and not have to see each other, Norman said. It also was used to provide a place for parents to have supervised visits with children, she said.

The toys and dolls that were available to children at the Mason Street location are being donated to the Cumberland County Partnership for Children program, Keever said.

Keever said she had read, in recent weeks, about two instances in which a custodial change turned violent. Safe Havens, she said, was created to keep that from happening.

"It just indicates we've been lucky, partly because of the way we've done things," Keever said. "We're certainly hopeful we don't have incidents of that nature."

For now, visitations will take place at the Cumberland County Detention Center, which was offered by Sheriff Moose Butler, Keever said.

"But that's not a good place for children to be," she said.

Arrangements for custodial exchanges will be left to couples or set up in a public venue, such as a restaurant or parking area.

Efforts to keep the program afloat, including a spring fundraiser that was dampened by rain, fell short, Norman said.

"There wasn't a way to manage this," Keever said. "We looked, we talked to churches and other nonprofit agencies, but it's a significant cost and liability to take on the responsibility."

Norman and one assistant will be out of a job when the program closes its doors.

"I'm heartbroken," Norman said. "This has never been a job. I did it because I wanted to help people."

She and Keever are hopeful that Safe Havens can be revived.

One option is to try and create a partnership with the Fayetteville or Cumberland County governments. Other options include applying for more grants.

At the least, Keever said, it will likely be a year before the program is resurrected.

"I think people should understand it was a great service to this community," Keever said. "We had it for nine years and I'm absolutely grateful for the nine years we had it. I hope we'll be able to have a center in the future.

Staff writer Nancy McCleary can be reached at mcclearyn@fayobserver.com or 486-3568.

Contact Us

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Fayetteville Observer ~ 458 Whitfield St., Fayetteville, NC 28302 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service